Like many a US city these days, Third Wave coffee has taken over Philadelphia. No longer relegated to the pioneering West Coast that launched this wave as far back as the 1960’s when Peet’s first opened in Berkeley, CA, Philly has had its own key pioneer since 1994: La Colombe. When even NYC was still a wasteland for great coffee — not… Read more →
Last issue we talked Dallas and its many food and drink surprises these days… This issue I dig deep in Austin — food (restaurants, tacos, BBQ, ice cream) and cocktails/bars. All that intense research, part of a two week road trip across the state, means I required morning fuel for days of tasting and exploring. Here are the six Austin… Read more →
As in so many of the world’s best cities these days, coffee has risen to an art form, whether influenced by the hot, flat white-driven coffee scene in Australia, or the decades-long history of superlative coffee on the US’ West Coast (Oregon, Washinton and California), whether pulling from Italian coffee drink perfection or Japanese equipment precision (Hario, siphon, etc.) Berlin… Read more →
Hong Kong’s coffee scene was a welcome surprise. While the third wave coffee having swept most cities of note around the globe — especially any with a strong food scene — it is not always the case that these coffee renaissances are anywhere near as strong as what has been a decades-long staple of (and has in fact come from)… Read more →
My new coffee destination/cafe of the month is on Market Street near the Montgomery BART station, easily accessible to Union Square and Financial District/SoMa crowds alike. Mazarine serves coffee from a couple purveyors to please the coffee geek and quality bites for lunch and breakfast. Here is an article I wrote about the cafe at Zagat on January 21, 2015:… Read more →
From my many articles a week as Zagat Editor, I summarize and link to some coverage highlights here – you can follow along on Twitter @ZagatSF, where I post daily, or on my own @ThePerfectSpot via Twitter or Facebook. New Bay Area Openings BURMESE fare & BRITTANY-style CREPES arrive at Upper Haight’s SECOND ACT MARKETPLACE First Look at HUXLEY in… Read more →
From my numerous articles a week as Zagat Editor, I summarize and link to some of this coverage here – you can follow along on Twitter @ZagatSF, where I post daily, or on my own @ThePerfectSpot via Twitter or Facebook. Wine & Spirits 6 things to know about 1313 MAIN in DOWNTOWN NAPA FLAVOR! NAPA VALLEY readies for its 4th… Read more →
From my 15 articles/posts a week as Zagat Editor, I summarize and link to just some of this coverage here – you can sign up for Zagat’s weekly newsletter for the Bay Area here and follow along on Twitter @ZagatSF, where I post daily. As I have been for over a decade, I’m on the ground daily looking for early… Read more →
I adore New Orleans. I adore coffee. And I adore St. George Spirits. So I was (naturally) pleased to hear St. George was releasing Nola Coffee Liqueur. On its way to stores and bars as we “speak”, this new coffee liqueur starts local with cold-brewed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans roasted by Jewel Box Coffee Roasters, an up-and-comer in Oakland, just… Read more →
Sacramento… Sac Town, our California Gold Country capital, known for its politics, surrounded by the boundless produce of inland California which us city dwellers richly benefit from. It’s a town I stop to dine in on the way to or from Tahoe but have only stayed the weekend in a couple times, despite its close proximity to San Francisco. A… Read more →